Home
by thedivinemissk
Summary: Emma and Henry surprise Regina in the middle of the night (its really not what it sounds like)
1. Chapter 1

Brief and necessary disclaimer: if you recognize it, I don't own it. This has been knocking around in my head for a while now. I don't know where this is going if anywhere but I hope you'll stick with me.

 **\-- Home --**

The room is mostly dark with only a few shafts of moonlight peeking in through the curtains. One beam spilled over the coffee table, casting its pale glow upon an empty wine bottle and a lonely glass. It was silent save for the soft ticking of a clock in the next room. Another beam made it a little further into the room, falling on the couch. Or more accurately falling on a person on the couch. A gust of wind ruffles the leaves, longer branches tapping on the glass. The figure stirs slightly, rolling over and pulling something closer to their chest. They settle in once more, snuggling into the couch further. The beam of light is just long enough to highlight a sleepy smile and a small scar on feminine lips. They exhale deeply, a satisfied sigh as the clock ticks on.

A moment later the room is flooded with light- and noise as two figures enter the foyer off the living room, snapping on the lamp in the hall. They don't seem to notice the woman on the couch, or that she wasn't sleeping anymore

"Shh! We need to be quiet. Mom's probably asleep." the teen boy whispered.

You're gonna shush me when you're being less than stealthy, Kid?" the blonde woman with him hissed back. "Take your shoes off before you go up those." The boy toed his shoes off before slowly making his way up the rounded staircase.

The blonde looked around as if this was her first time in this foyer- which it most certainly was not. She had been here countless times before for arguments and family dinners (the two were not mutually exclusive but if she were being honest with herself she wouldn't have wanted it any other way.) Her eyes were drawn to the very same picture they're drawn to every time she stands in that foyer; it was a picture of her son and his other mother at Granny's Diner. It's a candid shot that she had taken and given to the other woman for Christmas. She felt lame giving it to her, Madam Mayor: Elegant Queen of Classytown, but Regina had actually teared up ("NO! I have something in my eye!) upon receiving it. The brunette was laughing in the photo, but not the polite sort of laughing. She and Henry had been in the throes of full-bellied laughter; mouth open, teeth on show, eyes slammed shut, tears of joy making their way down aching rosie cheeks. Emma couldn't remember for the life of her what had been so funny; she could only remember feeling the need to capture Regina (and Henry) in that moment because of how happy and beautiful they (she) looked. The blondes lip twitches into a wry half smile thinking about it. "I didn't think this would happen but look how far we've come Regina." she says to the picture, still unaware of Regina's actual physical presence on the couch a mere ten feet from her.

Meanwhile Regina is just laying on the couch in the semi darkness, still a little buzzed from her liquid dinner, hoping that Emma and Henry get what they need quickly and get out so she doesn't have to explain why she took a boozenap on the couch. Or why she drank a whole bottle of wine by herself in the first place. She tightens her hold on the object she's clutching to her chest when she hears Emma say her name, inhaling sharply.

Be cool. She thinks to herself, squeezing her eyes shut, feeling the object in her arms. It took her slightly drunk brain a few moments to remember what it was: a picture of the three of them, like a family, Regina and Emma on either side of Henry, proud smiles on their faces. A groan slips out but Regina bites down on it. _This is really the last thing I wanted right now. How pathetic am I?_ She lets out what she thinks is a silent breath.

"Hello?" Emma says, slightly startled, turning on her heel. Poking her head into the living room, the blonde feels around for the light switch. "Regina is that you?" She flips the switch and squints as the bright lights spring to life.

Regina covers her eyes with her forearm instantly, flinging the picture she was holding across the room in the process. "Fuck!" the brunette moans, keeping her face covered, well aware that it was burning with embarrassment. There is the sound of glass breaking and the pitter patter of clomping teen boy feet rushing down the stairs mixed with exclamations of "Holy shit!" and "What's going on?!" Regina was already getting a headache. Her head hurt, she was mightily embarrassed and just wanted the earth to swallow her up right then and there so she didn't have to deal with a million questions that were certainly already on the tip of their tongues.

"Why are you down here?" "What was that crash?"

Regina for her part remained motionless on the couch with her face covered.

"I could ask you the same thing." she mumbles out.

"What?" Henry and Emma say in unison.

"I. Could. Ask. You. The. Same. Thing." she grinds out, carefully pronouncing each word as she sits up and turns to them. To their puzzled looks she presses on, "Why are you here at," she glances at the clock on the cable box, "Too Close to Midnight when you're supposed to be at Emma's this weekend?" She does her best to school her face into something resembling her old terrifying persona to hide her embarrassment. She cocks her eyebrow, looking at them expectantly for an answer. When Emma audibly gulps, Regina feels a little bad because she doesn't really want the blonde to be afraid of her.

"I.. we-"

"There's a meteor shower peaking at 12:30 and I forgot to grab my telescope before now." Henry offered with a half smile. Regina squints at him a moment before softening her look. He looks past her to the coffee table and sees the bottle and the wine glass and his smile falters a little. "Are you okay Mom? Do you need me to stay home with you?"

"What? No! I was just having some 'Me' time and I didn't make it upstairs. I'm fine." Regina protested lamely, hoping that they didn't go to investigate the other side of the room. "I'm fine." She said again more firmly, even believing it a little herself. I really just want you both here, with me, all the time.

Henry seemed to buy it and bound over to her to throw his arms around her in a farewell hug. Emma on the other hand, as Regina could see, was having none of it. While she answering Henry's questions, Emma had spied with her little eye something with broken glass and a family picture. She gave her The Eye.

"If you're sure you're okay we're going to head out." The taller woman said, her tone too soft for the look she was giving Regina over Henry's shoulder.

"I'm okay Emma. I'm going to take myself upstairs, have a nice, hot shower, take some Tylenol and snuggle up in my bed." She put on her best smile. "Promise."

"Bye Mom!" Henry said before bounding out the front door with his telescope.

"Bye guys!" Regina tossed over her shoulder, facing away from them now and gathering up her bottle and glass and heading into the kitchen. She tosses the bottle in the garbage and sets the glass on the counter. She grabs a cup from the cabinet and goes to the fridge to pour herself a glass of water. After she sets down the jug and closes the refrigerator door, she is quite shocked to be almost nose to nose with the object of her affection. Wide brown saucers stare into probing green ones. Emma's eyes search Regina's face for a moment, her hands still resting on the brunettes elbows from steadying her.

There is a long, quiet pause as they stand inches from each other, the older woman's cup of water between them.

"I wish you would let me in Regina. We _are_ going to talk about this." Emma breathes out before turning on her heel and heading to the exit.

The brunette lets out a breath she didn't realized she had been holding and sets her glass on the counter. She leans heavily on her forearms with her head in her hands groaning. Her blood was rushing all over, heat was everywhere on her body and she had butterflies in her stomach.

 _Damn it._

After a few minutes to catch her breath she straightens up, drains her glass of water and makes her way upstairs to take a long (very cold, now) shower and hit the sack. She was not looking forward that conversation.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you to those of you that reviewed! Thank you for your continued reading of my fanfic. Once again if you recognize it I don't own it. Just having some fun with this magical world.

 **~~~~~~~Home~~~~~~~**

Regina's eyes cracked open with a start. An action that was immediately regretted as her hungover eyes were not at all receptive to the cheerful sunshine that filled her bedroom. Groaning, the brunette rolls over, dragging a pillow over her face. Her head is already throbbing. _I never took that Tylenol. Damn me_. She chances a look at the clock on her nightstand through one eye. 9:26 AM. She groans and covers her face again. Regina blindly waves her hand; the curtains close haphazardly, leaving a few gaps but still achieving her goal of making the sunlight more bearable.

She sits up slowly to gauge the rest of her body's response to the alcohol from the night before. Squinting, she swings her legs over the side of the bed. So far so good. Standing up she straightens her clothes and slowly heads to the bathroom. After answering nature's urgent call, Regina brushes her teeth and examines herself in the mirror; messy hair, slightly bloodshot eyes. Yet, she looked pretty well rested. After Emma left Regina could only remember taking a shower and crawling in bed. She was out as soon as her head hit the pillow. She spits in the sink and rinses her toothbrush. After rinsing her mouth she flashes herself a smile in the mirror. Then her head throbs and she rifles through the medicine cabinet for the medicine. She downs the pills there, and heads back into her bedroom.

Eschewing getting dressed just yet, she just grabs her robe and heads downstairs still in her pajamas. She's home alone this weekend with no plans so what's the big deal?

Walking by the living room on her way to the kitchen, Regina suddenly remembers the broken glass and Emma's promising (threatening) tone to make her talk about what had happened. Deciding to ignore the glass for now and the feelings that come with it, she grabs her phone off of the couch and continues on her way to the kitchen. She sets it down and checks her coffee maker, quietly thanking herself for having the foresight to get it ready. Once she gets that going, she washes her wine glass from the night before. After that she pours herself a tall glass of water, leaving the pitcher out because hydration was definitely necessary. She sips it in healthy measures and picks up her phone.

Turning it on, the screen pops to life showing her that she has two missed calls and four text messages waiting for her. And a low battery. "First world problems." she says out loud to the room before fishing a charger out of the ubiquitous Everything Drawer and plugging it it. She decides to leave it be and prepares her coffee. Her headache is starting to ease, and she smiles as she sips her coffee. Regina allows herself a moment to enjoy the warmth washing down her throat and filling her belly.

The brunette walks over to the window and just stares for awhile, enjoying the view of her apple tree while sipping her drink. She enjoys these moments of solitude where she doesn't have to think abo-

Her reverie is broken by the sound of her phone buzzing on the countertop.The buzzing ended abruptly so Regina figured it was a pocket-dial and resumed her sipping while looking out the window.

Buzz. Pause. Buzz. Regina closes her eyes and sighs. This is already too much for her and she considers going back to bed instead of dealing with anything else today.

She places her coffee mug on the island and walks over to her phone. Three missed calls and six texts. One call from Henry, one from Emma and one from Snow. Before calling any of them back she opens her texts; two from Snow: "Oops! buttdial lol" and "Sorry if I bothered you, have a great Saturday :D" Regina rolled her eyes; that woman was still so sickeningly sweet, even through text messages. One text was from Henry: "Sorry about last night. We didnt mean to wake you up when we hatched Operation: Stargazer. Love u!" The brunette smiled at that. Those two and their operations. She texts back "It's OK Henry. I love you too, have a fun day!"

Regina's stomach gives an involuntary lurch when her eyes landed on Emma's name in her conversation list (Miss Swan), and she decides that she can let those go unanswered for now. She didn't want to read them because it was really just much easier to squash down her feelings rather than address them like Emma wanted. She wanted to let the blonde in, really she did, but she was completely terrified of being rejected by her. Regina wasn't an idiot; she knew it was highly unlikely that Emma would reciprocate her warm, fuzzy feelings about making a united-under-one-roof family with her and Henry. She was more concerned that Emma would freak out and not want to be her friend anymore. _That's why it's better to leave it unsaid_ , she tells herself constantly.

After a moment she opens Henry's conversation and types in, 'What are you two up to today anyway?' She punches send. It buzzes with a reply as soon as she sets it down.

'Just had brkfast with Killian at Granny's. going for a hike now. ma would rather go back to bed lol'

"That makes two of us" Regina says aloud to herself. 'Is Capt. Guyliner making constant moon-eyes again?' she hesitates a moment before finally deciding to hit send.

'That's not very nice Mom bt ya he is. its pretty gross. im gonna walk ahead j so i dont have 2 c it"

Regina allows herself to laugh at his response, the alternative being slight jealousy that Emma keeps allowing that pirate to court her. Before she can reply to him he sends another text: 'ma wants 2 know why u r ignoring her.', and her face immediately flushes.

'Tell her I said it's a low move to have you ask that.'

'can u guys work this out on ur own n not thru me plz?'

Regina sighed. She knew he was right. 'Sorry Henry'

'its ok. getting to woods now, signal dying. love u'

'Have fun! xoxo'

The brunette steeled herself with a deep breath before opening the messages from Emma. The first message was time stamped for 12:15am and it was a picture of Henry setting up his telescope in the wash of the Yellow Bugs headlights with the caption 'wish you were here. get some rest' Regina almost felt bad for ignoring her. The second one was sent at 3:02am and it said 'i dont know what im doing.' The brunettes brows furrowed in confusion as she reads the last message, sent at 3:07am. It read 'i just want to help you be happy.' That message created more questions than answers quite frankly and Regina had no idea how to respond to that. The cursor blinked at her for an eternity before she finally typed out 'I'm sorry if I alarmed you last night. There's nothing to talk about, enjoy your hike with Henry and the pirate.' She knew she was being petty but in that moment she did not care one bit. She set her phone back down on the counter and went to rummage through the fridge for something to snack on.

At the same moment her phone buzzed again with what she assumed was a response from Emma, the doorbell rang. She glanced at the clock. 10:58. She wasn't expecting anyone, Henry was out with Emma. That's about the extent of her social circle since Robin turned out to be a dud in the romance department. He was a nice enough guy, just didn't turn out to be the sparks Tink had promised. _He wasn't Emma_ said the part of herself that she just really wants to stay silent. _Maybe I should get a cat?_ She chuckles to herself.

She pads over to the front door, peeking out to see if anyone was outside. No people but there was bag sitting on the welcome mat. She opened the door and stooped down to pick it up. It was a takeaway bag from Granny's with a ticket taped to it that read "Hangovers need protein. Hope this works like magic!" in Emma's untidy script. Ok… Now Regina really felt bad and resolved to apologize after she ate.

Her phone buzzed three more times in the time it took her to chow down on the breakfast Emma had delivered for her; eggs, French Toast and bacon. Emphasis on the bacon. Regina recalled the younger woman's elation at reading about a study linking bacon to effective hangover management. She smiles at the memory.

After throwing her away her trash, Regina unplugs her phone, satisfied with its battery power and heads back to the living room. Upon seeing the broken glass the brunette cringes a little, then waves her hand. The shards spring back together as the frame is repaired and lands neatly back in its place on the mantle. She sits down on the couch and tucks her feet under her.

The brunette stares at her phone with trepidation, hesitantly turning her screen on and opening her text conversation with Emma.

'his name is Killian, Regina.'

'did you get your food? I asked Red to deliver by 11.'

'Regina stop ignoring me!'

'k ignore me. but you cant ignore me forever your highness'

Regina let out an exasperated sigh. She typed back 'Aren't you supposed to be hiking? Sorry for my attitude, I was not ignoring you I was eating the breakfast you thoughtfully ordered for me. Thank you very much for that.' She hit send and paused a moment before typing out an additional message, 'I can't hide forever. If I let you in, please don't shut me out. I couldn't handle that. I will see you tomorrow promptly at 6:30 for Family Dinner Night. Have a good day, Emma.' Regina waited what seemed like forever before taking the plunge and sending her that. She fired off a quick message telling Henry she was going to back to sleep and not to be alarmed if she doesn't reply.

Instead of heading back upstairs Regina decides to stretch out on the couch, pulling the throw off the back as she goes. Once she gets settled in the brunette finds her attention being drawn to the picture she had boozenapped with the prior evening. She sighed, trying her best to not think about the conversation to be had with Emma.

She looked at the picture until her eyelids became heavy and she drifted off on the couch, thoughts of pushing Hook down a mountain running through her head.


	3. Chapter 3

The disclaimer still stands. Thank you all for hanging on so far!

Any mistakes are mine because despite all of the proof reading in the world and digital assistance it is Human to Err.

Enjoy!

 **~~~~~~~Home~~~~~~~**

Regina had awoken much later than she expected. The sun was fading just outside the window, a quick glance over to the clock told her she napped for about five hours. _It's Saturday,_ she told herself, _I can sleep all day if I want to._ She stretched her arms above her head and let loose a big yawn. Rubbing her eyes she sits up on the couch and wills the sleep from her brain. She sinks back into the couch, feet up on the table and watches the slowly fading light inch across the living room floor. She idly acknowledges the fact that she would have reprimanded Henry for sitting in such a way but right now she's just too comfortable to change positions. She checks her phone momentarily, sees no notifications and tosses it back down on the couch.

The formerly evil and currently unmotivated Queen stayed like that long past sunset, and didn't move again until the motion activated light on her porch kicked on. The light spilled across the living room wall, and with it the shadow of a person on her front porch. A pacing person. Regina looked over her shoulder and spied a red blur through the foyer window. Her heart skipped a beat. She looked down at herself and realized that she was still in her disheveled pajamas and robe.

Rolling her eyes at herself she quietly gets up, tightening her robe as she goes. She watches Emma from a distance as she paces back and forth on the front step. Regina can hear her talking to herself but can't make out clearly what she's saying. The brunette briefly debates magicking herself a new outfit but then decides against it when she sees the blonde throw her hands up in what looks like exasperation and stop in front of the door. There is a long pause and then four sharp raps on the door knocker.

Regina quietly approaches the door, waiting an appropriate amount of time before opening it. She didn't want Emma to think that she was waiting for her to knock. Which she totally was but that wasn't the point right now.

The older woman opens the door to reveal a stricken looking Savior and tries to act surprised. "Emma! What are you doing here? No Henry?" She asks the last part making a show of looking for Henry despite having already seen Emma was alone. "What did you do with Captain Guyliner?" Regina could barely supress a sneer as she said his moniker.

"Oh-uh. Henry volunteered to watch Neal so Snow and David could have a hot date to the grocery store." the blonde rushed out, seemingly caught off guard by Regina's super casual attire. She unconsciously raked her eyes up Regina's body, coming to a rest on her face. She could see the brunette's cheeks tinge pink in the porch light. She felt her own cheeks warm in response.

"Well… That answers one of my questions." Regina finally said after Emma wasn't forthcoming with anything else. "Do you want to come in or are we going to air condition the neighborhood while you stare at me?" She teased, trying to break the awkward mood. She stepped back and opened the door fully, giving the blonde a wide entry. She entered quietly and Regina closed the door behind her. Giving a quick look to the clock in the hall, she continues speaking as she walks towards the kitchen, turning on lights as she goes. "You are about twenty three and a half hours early." She didn't notice that Emma had paused in the foyer to look at the picture she loved so much. The blonde quickly caught up to Regina and joined her in the kitchen.

"Would you like something to drink? I'm sticking with water but I could get you something stronger if you like." Regina offers with a smile. Emma nods absently and Regina takes that to mean that yes, she does want something stronger than water, so she summons, literally, a glass of her hard cider to the kitchen. She sets the glass down in front of Emma and takes a seat in one of the bar stools. The dark haired woman rests her head in her hand and looks at the fairer woman expectantly.

Emma stares back for a moment, looks down and her glass, picks it up and downs it in one gulp that made Regina cringe from across the island. _That_ _had to burn_. The blonde lets out a small hiss and licks her lips. She closes her eyes as the cider makes its way down her throat, warming her up even more.

"Do you ever.. like… I don't know.. feel like you're doing things because it is what is expected of you and what people want you to do because it is just more convenient and easier to do what these other people think you should be doing than what you really want to be doing even though you're not one hundred percent sure what you really want but you're still pretty damn sure and you're absolutely sure that what you are doing is emphatically not what you want to be doing?" the blonde rambled out. Regina needed a full minute to process what she said. "What?" was her less than eloquent response.

Emma lets loose a huge breath. "Do you… ever feel like you're going going through the motions for other people's sake?"

"Only every day of my life, but… what is it that you're talking about Emma? You can tell me." Regina gave her what she hoped was an encouraging smile.

Emma looked at the older woman and took in her smile. The way her lips curled, her little scar. The way she looked so effortlessly beautiful. Lowering her eyes, she spoke slowly, "I don't think I want to be with Hook anymore." She looked up right after Regina wiped the hopeful look off her face, replaced with a more concerned one.

"What? I thought that was going well…" Regina felt the fakeness of her own concern and it made her cringe inwardly.

"It's going well because other people want it to be going well. I just don't… feel… anything when I'm with him." Emma made a face and looked down at her hands. "He doesn't feel like home. Not like..." she trailed off thoughtfully. "It was different at the beginning. It's like.. I don't know. The more time i spend with him the less I like him. He's cocky and rude and he wants these futury things with me but when I think about my future he is no where in it." Emma lets out a frustrated huff.

Regina's heart broke for the blonde. She knows all too well the feelings she was describing. The only people that instill that feeling in her are her son and his other mother. She reached out a hand and covered Emma's with it. Green pools slowly made their way from their touching hands, along the robe covered arm and up to Regina's radiant face. Regina wore a look of true understanding.

Emma wiped harshly at a tear that was threatening to fall with her free hand. "I don't know what made today so special, but all through breakfast I wished him gone. And while out on our hike he was up my ass to the point where I briefly fantasized about shoving him down the hill if only so I could go ten minutes without being called 'luv'." She spat the last word out, subconsciously lacing her fingers with Regina's as she ranted. "I think Henry noticed my irritation. He seemed keen on staying far ahead of us." Emma looked back up at Regina. They sat in silence for a moment.

"That's why I ended things with Robin." Regina said quietly into the silence. "No spark. No 'home' feeling. The attention was kind of nice for a little bit. I almost believed it could work. But then it just… faded. He just couldn't compare." Regina wasn't looking at Emma anymore, but she squeezed her hand. "I'm thinking I should just give in and get some cats."

Emma looked startled by the last declaration. "Cats?!" She laughed uneasily.

"The companion of choice for Unmarried Ladies of a Certain Age."

They stared at one another for a moment before bursting into laughter, fingers still entwined. After their laughter subsides there is a long, comfortable silence.

"Not that I am not glad that I'm the one you're venting this to, but why are you telling me this?" Regina is the first to speak.

"Because... because there is... Ugh." Emma scrunched her face up. "You're bad at feelings." She finally says dumbly.

The older woman looks slightly offended and starts to retract her hand but Emma hangs onto it with both of hers. "Nooo!! That came out wrong. I'm bad at feelings too. You get that. You get me and you make me feel safe enough to even say these things out loud." She starts rubbing soft circles on the back of Regina's hand with the pad of her thumb. She's staring intently at the brunettes hand, not ready to make eye contact just yet. She feels the other woman's hand relax in hers. Emboldened by this she reaches for Regina's other hand, taking it gently and starting the same circular motion with her other thumb. Regina feels oddly mesmerized by this. Emma takes another big breath. "I'm telling you this because you _care_. Because you care so damn much about me, about Henry, hell, you even care about _Snow_. I'm telling you this because when I saw what picture it was that was flung across the room, it made me feel hopeful." Her voice cracks with the last word. There is a moment of silence where Regina sits enthralled by the warmth of Emma's hands holding her own. The brunette tries to just enjoy the moment; it would be up her alley to read far too into things. Or worse, maybe this is a fevered daydream brought on by her excessive sleeping.

Regina squeezes the Savior's hands, equally reassuring for both of them. She wanted Emma to continue speaking as much as she wanted to assure herself this conversation was really happening.

"I'm telling you this because this is where I want to be. Not just when I'm sad or confused. All feelings. You're the one I want to share the feelings I'm bad at with. I want to share everything with you, from Saving the World to dumb every day things like doing laundry. I don't want to 'go home' anymore after our Sunday Dinners because I'm not going home when I leave here; I'm leaving it." Emma finally looks up at Regina. Her emerald orbs connect with misty dark brown pools. "I am telling you this because you feel like home, Regina." Her name comes out barely a whisper but it rings so very loudly in the Queens ears. Emma's tears are beginning to sneak down her cheeks.

Regina for her part is in a similar state; tears have begun to fall and she can't bring herself to speak just yet. She squeezes the blonde's hands, entwining their fingers. A smile slowly splits across her face. "Welcome Home!" the brunette finally manages to rasp out around the lump of joy in her throat. Emma's eyes brighten when it clicks that Regina is reciprocating her feeling, in her own Bad-At-Feelings sort of way. She immediately stand's up and lets go of Regina's hands.

"You really mean?" Her green eyes were wide with hope and Regina found the blonde's need for clarity adorable.

"Yes, I really mean!" She squeaks out, opening her arms. Emma all but runs around the island and engulfs Regina in a hug. She is letting her tears fall freely now. Falling freely with such a sense of joy mixed with relief. For both of them. Regina tightens her arms around Emma and buries her face in the crook of Emma's neck, inhaling deeply.

Part of Regina could not believe that this was really happening, and the other part was kind of terrified that it was. Both parts were silenced when Emma cupped her face in both hands, her eyes studying Regina's face intently; looking for a sign that she should stop. Regina gave an almost imperceptible nod and her eyes slipped closed. Her breathing hitched in anticipation. She could feel the Savior getting closer, hear her breathe in deeply. The seconds seem agonizingly long. Emma's nose brushes hers and she subconsciously braces herself for impact.

For all the time that Regina has spent thinking about this, thinking about what kissing Emma Swan would be like, her wildest dreams would never ever compare. Emma's lips were so warm and _oh so much softer_ than they look. She was tender and loving with the way she kissed Regina, as if she were a delicate flower that would bruise if she was too rough. The kiss was languid, lacking urgency, but still powerful. Literally.

Time seemed to stop as energy radiated from their joined forms. Every move of the Saviors lips against the Queens own velvety soft pedals sent pulsing waves of pure magic in all directions.

Regina felt like she was drowning, drowning in everything that was Emma. Their hot tears mingled on her cheeks and she couldn't remember ever feeling this way.

An eternity passes before Emma pulls away, sucking in great gulps of air. Regina rests her head on the younger woman's heaving bosom, listening to her heart hammer away, making great effort herself to control her own breathing and heart rate. She looks up at Emma, her chocolate eyes wide and shining and innocent and hopeful, "Was that.."

"True Love's Kiss."


	4. CHAPTER 4

Okay y'all. I apologize for the long break. I wasn't sure where I was going with this but now I have a much better idea of where I'm going. Im thinking I will have this baby wrapped up in about another chapter or so. As always, thanks for reading and sticking with me. Any and all (postive and or constructive) feedback is welcome! I hope you enjoy!

I still don't own OUAT. If I did, Regina would not be so frustrating this season.

They stayed like that, embraced, for the moments following The Kiss. Regina, for her part, was doing her best to contain herself. Her body was awash with emotion; Tingling all over, head fuzzy. She didn't know if it was the magic or her anxiety, but it was like she wasn't really there and it wasn't really happening. She was still crying against the blonde.

Emma too was still crying and in a state of disbelief. She heaved a great breath and pulled Regina closer, playing with her hair. This made Regina shiver and melt further into the embrace. _I could stay here forever_ , they both thought. They spring apart involuntarily the moment they are both startled by the cacophony of both Emma's cell blaring out "Whistle While You Work" and Regina's landline ringing.

The brunette heads over to the counter and picks up the cordless and answers after seeing Henry's cell number in caller ID. "Henry what's up? You never call the house phone." She looks over to see Emma answering who she could only assume was her mother.

"You weren't answering your cell! Did you feel that?? Do you know what's going on? ARE YOU OKAY?" the teen rushed out.

"Woah, Henry, slow down. I'm fine, I must have left my phone in the other room. Yes I felt it but why do you automatically assume that I something to with it every time there is a magical explosion?" there was a distinctly mirthful glimmer in her tone and she could hear her son sputter on the other end. Regina stifled a chuckle.

"Mom I just- uh- er.. I was just making sure you were okay. I had just gotten Neal to sleep when it happened and now he's awake again, Grandpa just called to check on us, nothing bad has happened. They're on their way home now." Regina noticed Emma trying to get her attention, she was holding her phone away from her face.

"Henry can you hang on a second?" Regina put the phone against her shoulder.

"It's my mother and she wants to know what happened." Emma said, wide eyed. "What do I tell her?" The phone buzzed in her hand and she looks at it. "Fuck, Hook is calling me now!" she hissed.

"Henry wants to know the same thing. I'm not sure this is a conversation to be had on the phone." The brunette looks stricken "I don't know what to do about Hook, and quite frankly I am kind of terrified of telling your parents what just happened. And Henry… I can't lie to him however awkward it might be." She could hear Henry faintly through the speaker part talking to his grandparents presumably. She gave Emma a confused look.

The blonde looked at the clock in the kitchen. "We need time to talk about this before we can talk to anyone else about this. I'm going to tell Snow to come over with Henry in about an hour. It will be easier with just the two of them, and I will deal with Hook at a time that is still to be determined." She flashed a smile and gave the older woman a quick peck on the lips before returning the phone to her ear. Regina smiled back and followed suit.

"I'm sorry Henry, yes everything is still fine. Don't worry, what happened wasn't dangerous. Emma is talking to your grandmother right now. She will tell you what's goin- Yes I am with her right now we will explain I promise! I love you too Henry. We will see you soon. Bye." She clicked it off and returned the phone to its cradle. Regina turned back to Emma, who was still wrapping up her call. She had to stop herself from laughing at how similar it sounded to her own chat with their son.

"I love you too Mom, see you in a bit!" Emma tossed her phone on the counter as the call disconnected. She stared at her son's other mother for a long while before speaking. "I want to keep kissing you," she gushed, tinging pink with her admission. "It's better than I ever imagined." Her flush deepened. Regina had her own blush to match. "But We probably should talk about last night and just now. So I am going to stand on this side to prevent my lips from halting this talk." As she finished speaking she came to a rest on the other side of the island from Regina.

The older woman chewed her lip thoughtfully for a moment before speaking, avoiding eye contact, "Last night when you came in and I was sleeping on the couch? I said I was having 'Me' time because it was easier than telling our son that I drank an entire bottle of wine because I was upset, and if I am being honest with myself, I've been feeling depressed." She traced the pattern of the granite with a manicured nail. "So I had a bottle and was in a mood, saw that picture and couldn't bring myself to put it down; I wanted my family with me." Regina's flushed creeped further down her neck with every word but she wasn't stopping; not only were her feelings reciprocated but it was pretty much cosmically aligned. She had destiny on her side and that included the wonderful woman opening her heart to her.

"When I first met you I was not only threatened by you but I was entirely terrified of the other feelings you stirred up in me. They were things I had thought I was incapable of feeling anymore and that scared the hell out of me, so I lashed out, as you may recall," she looked up at Emma with a smirk, "and then slowly we became allies, then actual friends. Losing the hostility with you cleared my heart, so to speak. I started allowing myself to acknowledge those feelings, and they grew. And grew, and now I am so stupidly in love with you that it hurt me to think that being a whole family with you and Henry wasn't possible. I had visions of one day having to sit through your wedding to the pirate, maybe even standing behind you with a Joker smile cranked in place because I would rather see you happy than not be in your life at all." Her voice cracked on the last word, tears were falling again. She wiped them absently. The lump in her throat stopped her from continuing.

Emma watched in awe as Regina spoke, her heart swelling with love because she was finally being let in. She moved close enough to take the other womans hand. "The first time I ever was aware of being attracted to you was that day at the mine when Henry and Archie were trapped and you got in my face. It took every ounce of willpower I possessed to keep me from kissing you in front of God and everyone." The blonde smiled and squeezed Regina's hand. She paused a moment and heard what sounded like thunder in the distance. "But I thought it was because you were super hot, and when you're fired up you're even sexier. It was extremely childish now that I think about it, but I used to annoy you and bait you into fights because I had a crush on you. I was pulling your pigtails to make you pay attention to me." She gave Regina a sheepish smile, running her thumb along the brunettes knuckles.

Regina actually laughed at this. "It's funny you should say that because there were times that I found myself instigating you for the same reason! Look at us, in our _ahem... thirties,_ no better at sharing our feelings than kindergarteners."

Emma laughed too and pressed on, "I didn't realize how in love with you I was until that day I was driving away from you, away from Storybrook and parents and the impending curse, with Henry and towards loss of our memories. But then we came back and the feelings came back and it scared me so I latched onto Hook and used him to distract from my feelings for you because I also thought we would never ever be together. And then everything with your sister happened, going back in time. Knowing you suffered through my carelessness, and then knowing you went through Ingrid's curse while I was immune… I used him for comfort when it was you I really wanted to be with, to comfort you like that." the blonde sighs heavily, "Lately though things are getting serious- for him- and I just can't… don't… want to hide behind this sham anymore. I know Killian is going to be devastated, but I won't keep that part of me hidden anymore. Especially now that I know you feel the same way." They smiled at each other, oh so relieved at finally getting this off of their respective chests. "I just honestly don't know how he will react. He has changed a lot since I first met him, but…" she trailed off with a telling grimace. Regina gave her a weak smile, "Here's hoping for the best?" She squeezed Emma's hand.

There were a few long moments where the only sound was the ticking of the clock and the roll of thunder. Distantly it sounded like lightning cracks. Emma glances at the clock and murmurs lowly.

"What?" Regina asks.

"I told Snow 'about an hour', and to her that means fifty minutes. T-minus twenty minutes." Emma says more clearly. Regina's eyes widen, her lips forming a delicate 'O'.

The older woman moves over to the Everything Drawer and digs for a moment before pulling a small yellow envelope from its depths. Going back to her previous position, Regina gently pushes it across the island to Emma, who just gives her a puzzled look. Regina smiles, "Open it. I've been meaning to give it to you for a while now, I don't know why I haven't but this seems as good a time as any. They did not have swans so I got the next best thing."

Emma delicately picks up the envelope and feels it for a moment, her look of curiosity almost child-like. She opens the flap and shakes it out into her palm; it was a key with a pattern of little white ducks on it. The blonde laughed out loud and her eyes welled, "I like ducks too! Is this… Is this the key to your house?" She asked, eyes wide.

Regina swallowed hard and cleared her throat, "Our house. If you want it to be our house I mean. You said that you didn't want to go home anymore. You could live here, with us." Her voice faltered a little on the last word but she steeled herself and continued, "You could have your own room if you want. You don't have to sleep with me. I mean, not that I wouldn't want that, to sleep with you. I mean like asleep with clothes on! Not that you have to wear clothes. Ugh- I am just going to stop talking because my words are not working." _Real smooth, Queen._

"Yes." Emma said. Simple. Confident. For a moment Regina didn't comprehend. It must have showed because the Savior proceeded to clarify her statement. "Yes I want this to be my hou- home, too. We can figure out sleeping arrangements later, but yes. I want to live with you and Henry. With my family." For a moment Emma wondered if she would ever stop crying tonight.

Within a few strides Regina is on the other side of the island with her hands gently cupping Emma's face, the pads of her thumbs wiping her tears. She was crying too from the sheer force of emotion she was experiencing. It still felt a bit surreal, but slowly her body was waking up to the world again. Her chocolate orbs searched Emma's face for a moment, inching closer till their noses touched. She could feel the Savior breathing in ragged breaths. "I think that's enough talking for now, don't you?" It came out like a purr and Emma audibly gulped. Regina brushed her nose against the blonde's affectionately, their lips were mere centimeters apart, "Save some ener-"

Emma could not stand it any longer and cut Regina off with what she thought was a long overdue lip lock. Her arms snaked around the other woman's waist as she pulled her flush against her body. The brunette's arms looped around Emma's neck as she stepped into the embrace.

This kiss seemed to contain all of the urgency their first one lacked; it was heated, rushed. Their lips moved in perfect synchrony; a unique, electric dance of lips, tongues and teeth, pulling at each other with tender desire.

The two women were so caught up in each other that they failed to hear the front door open, or the two newcomers in the hall.

"I think whatever that magical charge was has something to do with the weatHOLY SHIT!" Henry was saying to Snow as they came down the hall toward the kitchen. The teen had entered before his grandmother and caught his mothers' in the act.

"Henry! Watch yourOLY SHIT!"


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Okay guys, I kinda of slogged through this. It took me a few days to get it to something I was happy with. As always, reviews are welcome, I love hearing what y'all think.**

 **~~~~~~~~~~~Home~~~~~~~~~~~**

The air in the kitchen was frozen. No one knew what to say. Henry stood still, wearing a surprised grin, looking rapidly between his mothers and his grandmother. Emma had broken the embrace, but did not move far from the other woman's side. She had face hidden in her hands and could be heard swearing into them. Regina stood defensively, as if preparing for a fight; her spine straight, shoulders squared with her jaw set defiantly. The look on her face could easily be interpreted as saying "Come At Me." On the inside, though, Regina was reeling. She had accepted that she was going to have to _tell_ Snow about her and Emma, but she didn't want her to _see it like that_.

Snow White had a wide eyed look of pure shock locked onto her face, one hand over her heart. She didn't look angry or upset. Just genuinely _shocked_. Her signature cherubic smile could be seen just under the look of surprise. The Princess was scrambling on the inside to make sense of what she had just seen. It was only partially processing. Emma kissing Regina, her former nemesis and source of terror, and...

"My stepmother!" Snow squeaked out, her face twisting with bewilderment, breaking the deafening silence. All at once the four people came to life.

Regina visibly recoiled at the other brunettes exclamation. Her hands tightened at her sides into fists. Emma finally uncovered her face and stepped around Regina to stand between her and her mother. Henry finally closed his mouth and shrunk back away from the women, the wheels in his head furiously turning.

"Excuse me?" The blonde says, eyes narrowing on her mother. Something was spurring her to protect Regina. She had noticed a shift in the mayor's body language since Snow's arrival and it set her on edge.

"I- I- I.. I don't… What? What is going on?! We were coming over to talk about magic and I see you kissing my stepmother!" Snow's voice rose higher with each word until she was outright shrieking. This seemed to be just as startling for herself as it was for the others cause she immediately covered her mouth, her face softening. "Oh, Emma. I'm so sorry." she simpered. "I just…" Snow waved her hand frantically towards her daughter and the other brunette, "It's a lot to take in! I just… When? How? _Regina_??"

Upon hearing her name said with that inflection, Regina bristled and grit her teeth, "What? Am I good enough to help you save the world, do the things that need to be done but not good enough for your daughter??" She clenched her fists again, causing small embers to pop. The Queen's fight or flight instincts were kicking in, and since flight was not an option she was doing her best to control her fighting urges. She was making great personal strides to not be the evil bitch she used to be, but it is that much harder when the people surrounding her won't let her forget it.

"No! No! That's not what I mean at all! Regina you have to understand… this is not easy. I just walked in on my daughter kissing a woman. Not just any woman," Snow paused, inhaling deeply, "A woman that I have a very complex history with including being related to through marriage. _Excuse me for being human_." Mrs. Charming hissed that last part out, tears springing to her eyes. She turned sharply on her heel and sagged against the counter. Regina crossed her arms across her chest and turned away from the group.

Emma continued to stand stock still between the two other women. Her eyes landed on Henry, giving him a look that seemed to say "Do Something!" For her part Emma felt a bit like she was trapped between a rock and a hard place. She had heard her male friends talk about being stuck between their wives and their mothers, and decided right then and there that she should have given them more credit because this really sucked, and this was just the beginning.

After a moment Henry walks over to Snow and lays a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Hey, Grandma?" The woman turns toward him and hugs him. His look of surprise is fleeting as he wraps his arms around his grandmother, patting her gently on the back. "It's okay, Gram. This probably isn't easy for them either. I don't think this was their _choice_."

Emma let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding as she watched her mother visibly relax at her son's words. He was such a good kid, and she was only a very small part of that. She mouthed an emphatic "Thank you!" to Henry before turning to the mayor. She smoothed her palm across the brunettes shoulders, wrapping her arm around her. When Regina turned her face towards the blonde tears could be seen making their way down her now ruddy cheeks, jaw still set defiantly. Her normally full lips were drawn into a tight line. She looked supremely uncomfortable and felt extremely tense under the sheriff's palm. Emma sincerely hoped that her face adequately expressed all of the feelings she could not find words for; the biggest one being her dismay that Regina was so uncomfortable.

"Can we sit? I think you should sit." Henry gently ushered the older woman to one of the chairs at the island, pulling it out for her and one for himself. "Moms, will you sit? He gestured to the stools on their side. Regina declined to sit, instead choosing to stand behind Emma, her arms still locked across her chest. Only then did it occur to her that she was still in her pajamas and robe. She involuntarily flushed and closed her eyes, groaning. Emma just stared across at her mother unsure of what to say.

Henry, all too aware of the tension, took the lead. "I was saying, I don't think it was a choice, Gram. You wouldn't have chosen Grandpa, would you?"

"That's different Henry, your grandfather is my True Love. You don't really get to pick that." She scrunched her face.

"That is _exactly_ what I am getting at!" the teen said enthusiastically, he turned to his mothers, "What were you doing when the magical surge happened?"

Emma blushed deeply, ducking her head a little. She examined her hands to avoid eye contact, but she could feel her mother's eyes burning holes in her face. "I came over to talk to Regina while you were at the store and Henry was watching Neal. I wanted to get some things off my chest, and Regina had the same things on hers. We… we…" She couldn't seem to get the rest out. The Queen stepped closer to Emma and placed her hands on her shoulders. Making direct eye contact with the other brunette, she finished the blonde's statement, "We kissed, and we caused- _our love_ caused that magical reaction." Her voice was a little rough, but still confident. She shivered and squeezed Emma's shoulders, "So no, I wouldn't say this is _different_ than you and Charming." She failed to suppress a defensive sneer. The blonde reached up and rested her hand on Regina's, trying to soothe her. Emma twisted around so she could look at her with round, probing eyes. Deep brown orbs connected with emerald green, and her face softened immediately. The tight line of her lips disappeared with the tug of a reluctant smile, her jaw and brow relaxing significantly.

Snow watches this interaction for a moment, taking in the way the brunettes entire body relaxed from the face down when presented with her daughter. The way they are so familiar with each others presence. The fact that Emma seemed genuinely happy looking up at the formerly Evil Queen. Snow had to wonder if the signs had always been there and if she just ignored it because of the men in their lives. Her face scrunches, trying to wrack her brain for anything she might have missed. She was coming up blank, the only thing coming to mind was all the times they argued or almost came to blows. Snow gasps loudly, the proverbial light bulb turning on. Three sets of eyes snap towards her for clarification.

"You two never hated each other." Snow says softly, "It was there, the whole time, in front of my face-"

"All of our faces!" Emma says with an uneasy chuckle, hoping she's not misunderstanding her mother's softness.

"I'm so sorry that I reacted poorly, Emma. If I had just paid better attention…" She trailed off, unsure of how to finish. "I just want your happiness." She reached out to take Emma's hand with both of hers, smiling that Snow White Smile, "Regina is not the person she used to be, and I need to be more mindful of remembering that." She looked right at the topical brunette, "I hope you will for forgive me, Regina. If the Universe thinks you're perfect for my daughter, how can I argue with that?" She gave her a smile so genuinely sweet and hopeful that Regina felt the remainders of her defensive animosity evaporate from her body. She slid onto the stool next to Emma, her strength apparently evaporating along with her anger.

"I'm sorry too, Snow," Regina says meekly, "I cannot really fault you for reacting instinctively. I was hoping to _tell_ you not _show_ you, but here we are." Her smile was lopsided. "That honestly went way bet-"

Regina was cut off by Emma's phone blaring to life with ''A Pirates Life", which the blonde quickly silenced, practically ripping the battery out in the process to shut it off.

"Jesus Emma are all of your ringtones from our Disney movies? I can't imagine what mine would be, I didn't even have a song in mine!" The Queen let out a laugh.

"Devil With A Blue Dress On." Came the sheriff's immediate reply. Regina was momentarily thrown. She wrinkled her nose at the blonde. "Seriously?"

"It just seemed right?" Emma said, unsure of how to explain her choice.

"Steamrolling right on by some implications I would rather not think about," Snow scrunched her nose, "That leaves a few questions. Two of which are actually my business; how do we tell your father and what curse did you break?"

Emma paled, "I don't know and I don't know."

"I have a theory." Henry interjected. "About the curse, not how to tell Grandpa. Mom, when you recreated Storybrook, did you use the same exact curse?"

Regina furrowed her brow, "Henry I didn't enact the curse this time-"

"I did." Snow gasped. "It was basically the same curse, just without the memory loss."

"But we're still trapped here without trinkets to get over the border." Emma said slowly, as if she was starting see where Henry was going with his question. Apparently Regina could also follow his point. A look of realization dawned on her face, "My blueprint."

She was met with three confused looks. Regina cleared her throat and continued. "My original curse had more than one layer; frozen in time, no idea who you really were and unable to leave. Emma arriving in town broke the time lock, and her love for Henry got your memories back, so…"

"So you think her love for you has brought down the final barrier of the curse?" Snow asked for confirmation.

Henry was grinning. "I would say it's a safe bet, but there's really only one way to be sure!" Emma and Regina shared a look, smiling at each other. "Our son is so smart." Emma's smile grew wider as she realized the renewed meaning of our.

There was a long moment where the tension from the last hour could be felt. And then Henry started laughing. Then one by one the three women succumbed to the contagious sound. The tension from before evaporated as they all laughed until their sides split and eyes watered. It was a feeling of relief and happiness and near absurdity of Destiny.

Their joyful moment was interrupted by the sound of someone rapping on the door. Which turned into a rather insistent knock. Henry was closest to the door so he volunteered to see who it was.

After pausing to check through the window, he opens the door, hoping his panic isn't showing on his face.

"Killian, what are you doing here?!"


	6. Chapter 6

_He's taking too long_. Regina thought to herself as she sat in silence with her _… what are we anyway? True Loves?_ Regina cringed inwardly at the cheesy cliche. She was growing fidgety under Snow's cheerful gaze. The Queen was actually quite unsettled by the ease of which her former target of revenge accepted her relationship with her daughter. Part of her thinks it would be easier if the Princess objected and rejected them. Regina knows that's the part that still thinks she doesn't get a Happy Ending because she was a villain, and deep down Regina knows she was never meant to be a villain.

The Mayor was broken from her reverie by the sound of boots clomping on her impeccable floor which could only mean one thing:

"You're alright Swan!" The pirate sounded exasperated.

"Try not to act so happy about it." Emma growled out, jumping to her feet. She hugged her jacket around her.

Snow and Regina shared a knowing look; Emma was going into Defensive Shutdown.

"Well of course I'm happy about it, Emma, I just wish finding you didn't take so bloody long!" Hook became more exasperated with each word. He had no idea what he just stepped in.

"Well I am so sorry it was inconvenient for you Killian." Her reply was cold, almost biting.

"On this extremely awkward and frosty note, I am going to get going." Snow said evenly as she gathered her things. "Henry are you coming with me?"

The teen was briefly startled at being addressed directly; he had been lurking in the doorway behind the leather clad man. He open we his mouth to speak but was cut off by Regina. "Actually I was hoping Henry could accompany me to check out that thing we were just discussing before we were interrupted." The brunette didn't bother to disguise her displeasure, staring directly at the pirate.

"That thing? Ohh! _That thing_. Yes. I am down."

"Thing? What thing? Goin' out in your jammies then, _Your Majesty?"_ The look on the captain's face was one Regina immediately wanted to slap. With fire.

Rolling her eyes instead, the regal woman waved her arm over herself in a sweeping gesture. She was engulfed in purple smoke for a moment. It dissipated to reveal a much more appropriately dressed brunette. She fixed him with a glare. "Ready Henry?" Regina scooped her phone off the counter and headed toward the exit. She pauses to touch Emma gently on her forearm, which was still tucked protectively to her side; she had a white knuckle grip on her jacket. "Want me to stay?" The sheriff shook her head jerkily. "Come to me later?" Watery green eyes met with concerned chocolate ones; Emma nodded silently. The blonde breathed a sigh of relief when Regina left their contact as just the simple touch on her arm. She knew she would not be able to handle Killian's reaction to anything more intimate than that. She could feel him watching her intently.

The Queen brushed past the pirate roughly, not even bothering to adjust her course around him. She paused in the doorway, looking over her shoulder, "Are you coming Snow?" Just beyond the other brunette woman was the blonde of her affections. She could see she was deeply uncomfortable. It was killing her to leave but she knew Emma wanted to tell him one on one.

Snow paused, looking between Emma, Regina and Hook. She walked right over to Emma and wrapped her arms around her in a hug. "I love you Emma. I always will, and I will never give up on you. Understand?"

Emma started to cry as she nodded against her mother's shoulder. She hung on a few moments longer before pulling back. "Can you… will you… tell Dad?" the Savior looked drained staring at her mother, "I don't know how many times I can have this conversation tonight."

Her mother simpered. "Of course sweetheart. I will check in later." She kissed Emma on the forehead. The good-bye she gave the pirate was mechanical in comparison.

Regina cast one last look at Emma before turning to leave. She held her fist over her heart; she felt it skip a beat when the sheriff returned the gesture. As she walked down the hall towards Snow and Henry and the awaiting outside world she could hear Hook loudly demanding ''What the bloody hell was all that about?"

Regina resisted all urges to turn around and followed her son outside and to her car. The odd weather from before had ceased and the sky was clearer than ever. She waved to Snow as she pulled away into the evening.

Back in the kitchen at the newly minted Mills-Swan home, Ms. Swan was attempting to keep as much distance between herself and her soon to be ex.

"Seriously Emma tell me what's going on! You're scaring me right now." Hook was a mere two steps behind her when she stopped and turned to face him. He tried to take her hand in his much larger one but she took another step back. A sense of panic flooded the blonde when her lower back bumped into a counter. The pirate's expression was a mixture of confusion and rejection. He took a step towards her. "You can te-"

"That's close enough Killian." Emma said, warning in her tone. He stopped in his tracks but didn't move away either. He looked at her expectantly, his face serious.

"What's going on, luv?"

The blonde suppressed a shudder at the endearment. She took a deep, steadying breath. "I can't be with you anymore Killian." It was barely a whisper. Emma made eye contact with him, watching his face for any expression; he seemed locked in that cocky smirk, but little by little his eyes narrowed. His smirk fell. "What?" he barks out.

Emma flinched at his volume but repeats herself more clearly. "I don't want to be with you anymore."

The usually handsome face twists into something beastly the sheriff has never seen before and it frightens her. "Why?!" the pirate snarls. His hand balls into a fist at his side. Emma is starting to regret not letting Regina stay.

She gulps and let's out a breath, "You deserve someone that will love you as much as you love her. I can't be her."

"And why the bloody hell not? Is there someone else?" He is livid now and Emma presses herself further against the counter. She has tears in her eyes as she nods, bracing herself for his reaction.

Hook looks as if he is straining to keep his boundaries in check, knuckles turning white, as he growls out a "Who is he?!" through gritted teeth.

"Killian…" Emma pleaded. She knew he was already angry and didn't want to push him over the edge. This is going way worse than she had hoped.

"No! No! Tell me, Goddamnit!" He was yelling now. "Who is the bastard that has taken you from me?"

For a brief moment Emma wanted to argue that she wasn't an object to be taken but this was one of those Pick Your Battles moments. "Regina." She breathed out, closing her eyes and awaiting impact. After a beat she opened one eye to look at him; he was just blinking at her. A smile slowly spreading across his face and laughter bubbling up in his throat. His hand relaxed as it moved to hold his belly as he laughed harder as Emma looked on indignantly.

"What's so fucking funny Hook?" she said incredulously.

"You. Leaving me. For. _Regina_." His response was punctuated with chuckles.

"I'm serious Hook! We kissed and magic happened!"

Emma thought that he didn't hear her over his laughter but after a few moments the captain wasn't laughing anymore. "Wait… You _kissed_ that _witch_?" Gone again was that handsome face, replaced with the scarier version Emma didn't like seeing.

"And then the magical reaction happened." She was still flush against the counter, practically sitting on it.

He stared at her, his mouth opening and closing as he scrambles for something to say. "She has _bewitched_ you Swan! It's not _True Love_."

"And you are?" She spits, her words dripping with venom. He sneers at her, taking a dangerous, looming step towards her.

"I said that was close enough!" She shouts, trying to step around him.

"Emma. Just let me show you-" He tries to grab her forearm but is literally thrown backwards and topples over the island. Regina had appeared from seemingly nowhere. She is by the blonde's side in a few strides.

"Are you ok? Did he hurt you?" One of her hands rests on a leather clad arm while the other hovers in front of a tear stained face. Emma lets out a sob of relief; the very real fear she had of Killian completely drained from her at seeing the brunette.

The pirate groaned as he got up from the floor. Upon standing upright he made an attempt to go around the island. Regina held her hand up. A force field rebuffed him.

"You just don't get it do you? Emma doesn't want you near her!" Her voice was low, but had that distinctively dangerous tone of an Evil Queen ready to pounce.

"You don't get to speak for her you hag!" He made another attempt. "You've put some sort of spe-"

"Silence!"

Killian continued to move his mouth but no sound came out; as if Regina hit the 'mute' button on him. He gave up after a few more futile tries, both to speak and get close to them.

"That's _much_ better." She grinned and composed into the most intimidating version of herself. "The barrier is down. No one is trapped in Storybrook any longer." She smiled at Emma, "We did that." she says softly to the blonde. Emma smiles back. Regina then turns to the pirate, glaring at him. "That means you get to hop on your dingy with your hooligan crew and leave. Forever. Find some other port to piss in. Just not here. This is not the life you were meant for. Leave now with your heart, and give yourself a chance to move on." Regina paused, rolling her eyes as the captain silently protested. Emma stepped into the conversation at this, recognizing the veiled threat, "Whoa, Regina." She placed her hand on the brunette's upper arm gently, "Leave now, yes. But we are not forcing him out of town! And we certainly will not do anything to his heart!" She admonished. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Hook throwing his arms up in a celebratory gesture. "Don't get too excited Killian. I meant what I said; I don't want to be with you anymore." Her gaze never strayed from the Queen's.

Regina's face softened, and her posture relaxed. She waved her hand. And immediately regretted it.

"Bloody hell woman!" The pirate tested the barrier and was disappointed to find it remained in place. 'Woman' scowled at him but stood her ground.

The blonde turned to her now ex-boyfriend, "You need to leave." Her voice was soft but her tone was firm.

"But-"

"No buts. There is nothing you can say that will change my mind. Just go. Please." The resolute look on her face finally crushed him; his shoulders sagged with defeat and he sighed heavily. "I'm sorry, Emma." The blonde was now looking away, jaw clenched. He sighs again, hanging his head, and leaves the kitchen. The sound of the front door slamming is heard shortly after.

The sheriff and the mayor stare at one another for a long moment.

"I'm sorry." They said in unison. Their reactions are identical; a small laugh and a smile. "For what? Stop that!"

Regina holds up her hand, composing herself. "I need to apologize for overstepping. My protective instincts are still a bit… Aggressive." She shyly admits.

"I'm sorry for admonishing you, but yeah. You can be a little scary." Emma winked.

"A little?" Regina arched a perfectly manicured eyebrow.

"Okay a lot scary. But I also want to thank you." The blonde took the Queen's hands. "I don't know if you just happened to come back at that moment or if you _knew_ I needed you, but you came. And saved me. I don't know how that would have ended if you hadn't intervened." Her face was solemn.

"I wouldn't say it was like an alarm or anything but when we were leaving I didn't feel right. I knew I needed to make this quick so I magicked us to the town line instead of driving. When we got there I couldn't feel any magical resistance, so we tossed some stones and they went through. What are you laughing at?" Regina made a face.

"You and Henry and your scientific way of doing things." Emma giggled.

The brunette pursed her lips and pressed on. "When those weren't stopped I decided to be the one to try to cross it, and I was able to; no trinket needed, no side effect. So we magicked to Granny's where Henry is probably eating something I would not be happy with. And I literally just got here as he was trying to grab you and I just go _so angry_ and afraid for you I went into scary action mode." Regina looked a little embarrassed. She had her eyes fixed on their hands.

"Your reaction time is top notch, we just need to work on your style." Emma smiled, her eyes glittering.

"We?" Regina's tone was playful. She moved her hands to the lapels on the sheriff's jacket, gripping them gently.

"Well, now that I have the Universe's approval to love you do you really think I'm not going to help you any way I can?"

The brunette just gushed and pulled Emma toward her, engulfing her in a warm hug.

Meanwhile, across town, Snow White was sitting in her car wondering how to tell her husband this cache of new and surprising information.


	7. Chapter 7

I worked on this for a while, and I hope yall enjoy it. As always, feedback is welcome. Thanks for hanging in there with me. I'm not sure where I am going now but I'm sure I will think of something.

 **~~~~~~~~~~~~Home~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

It hadn't occurred to Snow how long she had been sitting in her car until her phone twittered signalling the arrival of text messages. One from Emma that read 'That was messy but it's done. Barrier down. Tell him yet?' and another from husband asking if she was sleeping in the car tonight. 'Not yet, but that's great news!' she typed back to Emma. She tossed her phone in her purse along with her keys and exited her vehicle. The Princess fortified herself with deep breaths as she made her way into the building and up to her door. She paused there, almost afraid to enter knowing there really is no _good_ way to drop a bomb like this. Up until about a hour ago she was under the impression that her daughter was straight. Back in the Enchanted Forest it wasn't necessarily uncommon for people to be gay; it happened, but no one ever talked about it and _certainly_ never from royalty. Being who she was, Snow was hopeful that her husband would be happy for their daughter, but there was this tiny voice somewhere in the back of her mind that was worried. She did her best to squash that voice as she fixed her winningest smile on her face and pushed open the door.

"Honey I'm home!" she singsonged, tossing her keys on the table, trying to act casual.

"Shh! I just got Neal back to sleep." He said in a hushed tone, but he was smiling widely, genuinely happy to see his wife. He kissed her hello and very briefly Snow forgot her worry from the previous moment.

"Oops! Sorry!" her tone matched his. His eyes twinkled as he took her purse and jacket from her. The brunette smiled her gratitude and headed to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. After draining half of it she turns around to see David looking at her expectantly. She smiles at him.

"So?" he says, raising his eyebrows, "What happened? I know Emma told you it wasn't dangerous but I still gotta know!" He was excited; magical happenings usually result in adventures for them.

Snow's smile falters for a brief moment as she feels her stomach drop. "Ohh, yeah," she says setting her glass in the sink, "That was a curse breaking. We are now free to leave Storybrook." She speaks carefully, trying to pace herself.

"Really? That's fantastic!" The Prince says gleefully, his face splitting into an impossibly large smile. "But how?" he adds quietly after his wife makes a face and gestures with her hand to keep his voice down.

Snow takes a deep breath. "The most powerful magic in any realm; True Love." _That's right girl, ease into it_. She continues smiling despite the ache in her face.

"But what does that have to do with Emma? You mean she and Hook? Really? I mean, he wouldn't be my choice for her but…" He trails off seeing his wife shake her head. "Oh thank goodness! I mean he's good _enough,_ I guess, to her but a pirate and former villain? For our daughter? She deserves better." The more he speaks the harder she fights to keep her smile in place; it has fallen from her eyes and her cheeks are threatening to follow suit.

"Emma was involved but not with Killian." She breathes deeply, anticipating his follow up question. "Regina." she says quickly, answering before he could speak.

He smiles broadly, "Well if parental love can be True why not Best Friends too? After everything we've been through together it really is no wonder they have grown so close. Some of it Regina's fault but hey… She's turning over a new leaf and it's great she has a friend like Emma to help her!" He looks pleased with himself for figuring it out, but it doesn't last very long. Snow was shaking her head, her smile finally crumbling.

"Not friend-love." She looks away from him for the first time, suddenly concerned with the countertop.

Charming looks very confused, "So they're close like sisters?"

The brunette manages to choke back a peal of laughter at her husband's naive nature. She clears her throat and looks back at him. "David… Emma and Regina are in love… with each other." She smiles again, genuinely though, because she is happy for their daughter. And Regina.

Prince Charming, however, is not smiling. In fact, he is scowling, "Regina is a woman. That's not even funny Snow."

"I am not trying to be funny David; I am being factual. Our daughter is in love with Regina." she hissed. The Princess has also lost her smile. In it's place arose her Defense Face.

"Stop saying that! It's disgusting! Our daughter isn't sick!" His face is a mix of anger and revulsion.

"Keep your voice down! No, Emma is not sick. But she is in love. With Regina."

"She has to have some kind of spell on her! She's so lonely and bitter, she's bewitched her. Probably her new plan of revenge on us." He was not keeping his voice down. He had started pacing. "I won't allow it… I forbid it. It might be acceptable in this world but no member of this family will be a deviant."

Snow was staring at her husband, jaw slackening with every word he growls out. Her eyes have narrowed dangerously and she feels like she's seeing him for the first time. "Forbid it? _Forbid it?!_ " Her voice was still hushed but it was teeming with disgust, "You can't forbid your grown daughter from _True_ _Love_. No one gets to pick that. If I had gotten the choice I might have picked someone that wasn't such a bigot!" She's steamed. Her normally doe-like eyes are ablaze with mama bear instincts. "Who even are you?" she asks incredulously. "This is our _daughter_. I love and support her no matter what."

"Snow she's a _princess_. Its unacceptable and disgusting."

"The only disgusting thing here is your attitude David. If you can't love and support her too then… I think…" She trails off. She tilts her head back, trying not to cry. She lets out a big puff of air. She looks him dead in the eye, letting the tears spill over. "If you can't be supportive of Emma, and her happiness, then I need you to leave until you can."

David ignores this, continuing his pacing. "I don't understand how you are so calm and accepting of this! This is our daughter and _Regina_ we're talking about. REGINA. Not just any woman. A villain. _Your villain!"_ His voice is edging up on hysterical at this point and Snow subconsciously starts a countdown until their baby wakes up.

"You _literally_ just said she was 'turning over a new leaf' and you're 'glad she has Emma to help her'!" The brunette is doing her very best to remain calm but David is making it extremely difficult right now.

"That was before you told me what was really going on! Regina is dangerous Snow. _You of all people should know that!_ "

"If I _of all people_ have forgiven her you should too." She fixes him with a look. He doesn't back down.

"Well you're an idiot for forgiving her. She's a villain and always will be." His voice is cold.

Snow physically recoils at his words. A hurt look passes over her face. It settles into a look of resolve. "I am done having this conversation." She looks at him one final time, hot tears streaking her face. "I lost Emma once before-"

"Because of Regina!"

"Silence!" She finally raised her voice. " _I_ lost my daughter once before because we gave her _our_ best chance. I _refuse_ to lose her again because of you. I love and support her _and Regina_. Because that's what parents _should_ do and it is _right_. I might be an _idiot_ ," she sneers on this word, the expression foreign to her face, "but at least I'm not a monster." Baby Neal chooses this moment to start crying. David makes a move to go to him but Snow stops him. "No. Don't. I will take care of him. If you're still here when I get back, I will be taking the baby and leaving. I meant what I said David; I can't be with you if you won't support our daughter. And I won't let you poison our son with that toxicity either." There's a finality in her voice that shakes Charming.

He watches her walk toward the bedroom, words dying on his lips. After a beat his faces twists in anger; to him, Regina is just tearing their family apart again. He snatches his wallet and keys from the table and tears his jacket off the coat rack violently. It falls down as he slams his way through the door noisily. Snow is only sure he's gone when she hears his truck burn out as he exits the parking lot.

She cuddles their wailing son to her chest, rocking him gently and rubbing his back. "Shh, baby boy. Mama's here. Mama loves you, it's okay. Mama's got you! There's a sweet boy. I had no idea your Daddy could be that way, I'm sorry you had to hear that." She says softly. Neal stops crying at that and sort of blinks at her, like he understood what she said. He hiccups and fusses. "I promise you Neal, that when you are grown I'm going to love and support you no matter what." She reclines on the bed with the baby on her chest, continuing to rock and soothe him. Before long he drifted back to sleep, comforted by his mother's heartbeat.

When she was convinced it was safe to move him she carefully extracted herself from the bed and laid him gently in his crib. Snow moves away carefully, padding backwards and out the door, leaving it slightly ajar.

The silence in the kitchen is broken by the inspirational power chords of "Don't Stop Believin'" coming from her purse. The brunette dashed over to the bag and fished her phone from its depths. She answers without looking.

"Emma, hey. Yes, I'm okay. I was getting Neal to sleep _again_." She sighs heavily listening to her daughter talk about picking Henry up, hearing her unasked question. "Your father… He… He didn't take it so well. He was very angry when he left. Emma, no, you have nothing to feel bad about!" Snow frowns into the empty room. "It's his problem that he isn't happy for you two." She pads over to the couch and flops down unceremoniously. "Of course he left; I made him. I told him if he didn't leave until his attitude changed then I would and bring Neal with me. What did he say?" the Princess pauses, chewing her lip. She exhales loudly, "Emma, there aren't many things I can protect you from, but this is something I can. I _refuse_ to repeat what he said exactly but his overall message was that he _aggressively objects_ to your love and happiness and that is something I will not stand for. Ever. No, please don't cry!" Snow involuntarily clutches at her chest. "He's hard headed and ignorant but deep down he's a good man; he will get his head out of his ass sooner or later. Don't you 'Hey!' me. You're not the only one that can use salty language." She has a little triumphant smile upon hearing her daughter chuckle a little.

It faltered slightly, "Are you… staying at Regina's tonight? After you get Henry I mean." Her smile is renewed. "Well thank you Emma, I appreciate that. Just don't be loud coming in. That baby will stay asleep even if I have to gag everyone in five miles to do it. I'm so not being dramatic!" She huffs good naturedly. "I love you too, see you later!" Snow punched her phone off and dropped it on the couch next to her. She was very glad that Emma would be back tonight with Henry; after her spat with David she really did not want to be alone.

As Snow sunk back into the couch and rested in the silence everything from the evening seemed to unload on her at once. She began to cry, just unable to contain her emotional overload any longer. She wasn't sad or angry or frustrated; just tired of holding back. And cry she did, sending silent prayers to whomever was listening that everything would work out for her family.

Across town Regina was pouting at Emma's turned back. The blonde was gathering her keys from the table in the foyer, but she could hear the pout in the brunette's voice. She chuckles. "C'mon, babe, you know how much these weekends with Henry mean to her. Also I don't want her to be alone after fighting with my dad because of me. I mean, _she kicked him out_. Kind of a big deal." She turns to Regina and holds her hands, pecking her on the lips. "It's just one night. I will be back tomorrow when I bring Henry home. Promise."

The Queen sighs, resigned. "Okay fine, but only because we're destined to be stuck together for the rest of our lives." She winks, her chocolate eyes glimmering.

"I think I know a lady that can make that a lot longer." Emma smiles at her, eyes twinkling. She leans in suddenly, stealing a deeper kiss. "I love kissing you, but I'm going to go before I don't want to go at all." She backs up until she's by the door. Regina follows her, opening it.

"Until tomorrow, Ms. Swan." The brunette grins cheekily. "Seriously though, thank your mother for me. I might not ever be able to say this to her face, but it means a lot to me that she's okay with us." She looks vulnerable for brief second before her smile is back. "Okay go. I'm sure Ruby is giving Henry bottomless soda's and dental work is expensive." She tries to look stern as she holds the door. That facade breaks when Emma unexpectedly wraps her in a tight hug which she happily returns. The blonde kisses her one last time and heads out the door.

Regina leans against the doorway and watches the sheriff walk away. "I hate to see you go, but love to watch you leave!" She calls after her retreating form. Emma swings her hips in an exaggerated fashion until she gets to her car, the brunette laughing all the while.


	8. Eight

Hi guys! I know it's been awhile, and for that I apologize. I've had some real world issues and some world class adulting to handle lately. But here I am with a new chapter. It took me a while to write, but I hope you will be pleased. I am interested in hearing what y'all would like to see! It might make wrapping this up easier.

My initial disclaimer still stands; I dont own OUAT and anything you might recognize.

 **~~~~~~~~~~~~~Home~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

The rest of the night passed without further incident and Regina found herself laying in bed despite being unable to sleep. She had so many feelings tossing around inside her; elation, joy, happiness, but also fear and anxiety. She was certain tonight had really happened, however that didn't stop her from having this feeling of apprehension in the pit of her stomach. Like the bottom was going to fall out. _Because why wouldn't it?_ She bitterly thinks to herself.

She thinks it was easy to be brave earlier, because she had Emma, the Savior, her savior, to warm her with her Light. But here, alone and in the dark, the Queen felt vulnerable and scared. The one thing she has been after is finally in sight, yet there's this nagging voice of doubt telling Regina this was going to blow up in her face.

 _Snow and Charming are fighting because of you_. The voice reminds her. She lets out a huge puff of air, tossing her sheets off. "Snow defended Emma and I. And I'm now talking to myself." she laughs to herself in the darkness before flipping on her bedside light, throwing her legs over the side of the bed. She looks at the clock: quarter to twelve. Pretty much all of Storybrook would be ready for bed by now, save for the patrons of the Rabbit Hole but the mayor didn't think more alcohol would help her situation. She frowned into the empty room as she stood.

The silence in her room is overwhelming and suddenly she's feeling restless and over energized and a bit caged. Before she's conscious of it she is rummaging through her closet for her running shoes, trying to remember the last time she actually went for one. _Probably pre-Emma_ , she thinks. My routine still hasn't recovered. The Queen pulls her work out clothes from the bottom drawer and hastily changes. Once her shoes are tied she is out the bedroom door and flying down the stairs, anxious to be outside and moving. She doesn't have a plan in mind but she squashes the voice in her head that says going for a run in the middle of the night is probably not the safest idea as she pulls her hair back into a ponytail. She doesn't bother taking her keys or phone and sets off down the walkway as soon as the door locks behind her.

She stops just beyond the gate and looks around her. The neighborhood is as quiet as she expected it to be. Just like its been for the last thirty years (villain terror punctuation not included.) She does a few quick stretches before setting off towards town at a jog.

She does her best to control her breathing as she picks up her pace, listening to the sound of her feet hitting the sidewalk. Regina couldn't help but feel a slight difference in how the shoes felt and made a mental note to get new ones. That was her last thought as she willed her brain to focus on exerting this energy and let her feet take her as far as her out of practice legs were willing to go.

The crisp night air felt cool against her skin, and she could feel her restlessness ebbing. She was finding comfort in the glow of the street lights and the rhythm she was creating. Distantly she could hear owls hooting among the choir of crickets. As she makes her way through the neighborhood she vaguely registers the remaining lights turning off inside the homes. By now she was starting to feel slightly winded, but she pushed on, breaking into a sprint.

Hitting the main drag of town, Regina wills her tired legs to keep going to their unknown destination. She's starting to feel the burn now as she hangs a left and goes down a side street intending to circle back around. She passes by the town dive on her path, the area filling with with noise as a patron staggers directly into her path.

The Queen barrels into the person and they both go crashing to the ground.

"Ohhh shit that hurt." the man groans and lays there while Regina scrambles to her feet, already apologizing, "Oh my God I am so sorry I-" She does a double take at the man on the ground and realizes who she ran into coming out of the bar. "Charming?? The Rabbit Hole? _Really_?" she says incredulously as she extends her hand to help him up.

He peers up at her drunkenly, sneering as he recognizes her. He slaps her hand away and tries to get up on his own. " 'M fine. I don't need yer help." He shoves off the ground too hard and loses his balance, falling again. He swears loudly. Regina rolls her eyes. "David you can't drive like this. Let me-"

"I SAID I'M FINE REGINA!" He shouts, clinging to the wall as he slol stands up. "I have nowhere to go thanks to you so why don't you shove off?" He slurs as he wrestles his keys from his pocket, dropping them in the process. He sags against the wall as he tries to not tip over.

The woman snatches the keys away from him through magic, the ring appearing in her hand in a cloud of purple smoke. "If you need the wall to stand, you definitely shouldn't be driving!" She deftly steps out of the way as the drunken Prince lunges towards her, and tumbles to the ground. He beats his fist against the pavement and growls out more curse words. Regina doesn't know why she's even bothering, but she supposes it's because he's her family now whether they like it or not.

"Emma wouldn't want you to wrap your truck around a tree Charming. And neither would your wife."

"Snow wouldn't care. She kicked me out because of you." Regina is struck by how childish he sounds.

"She kicked you out because you were being unsupportive of your daughter." She's doing her best to remain calm and not engage his wishes to fight her.

"You're doing this to tear my family apart!" He whines, "You'd do anything to ruin my happiness, even take my daughter from me."

Regina's patience was wearing thin, "I could poof you to the sheriff's station. You could sleep this off there and think about everything with a clear head tomorrow." _Don't take his bait._

"I. Don't. Want. Your. Help!" he shoves off the ground again getting to his feet. Regina tightens her hold on his keys.

"Yeah well… Not everything is about you Prince Charming." She isn't being malicious when she says it. She heaves a great sigh. "You'll thank me for this when you don't die in a car accident tonight." She waves her hand and they are engulfed in purple smoke.

Moment's later they're standing in the sheriff's station, separated by bars.

"You're locking me up? You're not the goddamn law around here!" he rails and rattles the door.

"I am when you're breaking it! Drunk and disorderly, attempted assault on a public official? Would you rather I call the sheriff, _your daughter_?" He flushes and quiets down. "Thank you. The door will unlock in the morning. I suggest you get some sleep." She falters a moment. She waves her hand and a large bottle of water appears in the cell with him. "You might not believe me, but I never intended for any of this to happen. I was happy just being in her life. But here we are. I hope you will come around soon, David. Emma puts on a brave face but I know you're hurting her." She breathes evenly, doing well to ignore the hot tears escaping down her cheeks. Charming for his part at least had the decency to looked shamed by her words. He scowls at her before turning his back to her. She rolls her eyes. _Typical_.

She sighs, "Have a good night, _Dad_." She knew it was petty to take that jab at him but she couldn't resist. She was gone in a puff of smoke as soon as he whirled around to face her. Regina was still chuckling to herself as she toed her shoes off in the foyer. She grabbed her phone off the table in the hall, turning it on as she ascended the stairs. The phone clock says it's almost one o'clock and she cringes little. She wasn't expecting to be gone that long. Reaching her room she sets her phone down on the night stand and heads to the bathroom, peeling her clothes off as she goes. The Queen takes a quick shower before finally slipping into bed and drifting off to sleep. She sleeps so soundly that she doesn't hear her phone buzzing on the nightstand.

Sunday morning is nearly identical to the previous save for the lack of a hangover. In its absence, Regina basks in the morning sunlight streaming through her bedroom windows. She has been staring at the ceiling since she woke up, a grin tugging at her lips, thinking about the last twenty-four hours. At least, the better parts of it. The ones that featured Emma and her wonderful lips. The rest of it was some emotionally draining familial drama that the Queen is unwilling to work on just yet.

She turns slightly to look at the clock on the bedside table. It was already after ten. Snuggling back down she resolves to stay there as long as possible. The brunette stretches, and rolls over onto her stomach, burying her face back into the downy pillow. She doesn't know how long she stays like that, breathing deeply, and was almost falling back to sleep when her phone began to buzz. As the sleepy Mayor waited to hear if it was insistent or not she was overcome with the sense of deja vu; incessant buzzing, abrupt end, short silence, buzz, pause, buzz. She sighs, blindly reaching for her phone, knocking a few things down in the process. "This better not be some Groundhog Day nonsense." she grumbles to herself.

Regina props herself up on her elbows and turns her screen on: three texts, two missed calls and one voicemail. She chuckles to herself, "Thank God," and selects voicemail without looking at the missed call list. She puts it on speaker and rolls back over as the message begins to play;

"Eyyy Ginaaa. 'S me, Killian. Hook. Guyliner. Whatever. *hic* *giggle* Eyy listen. Listen, I've been givin it som' thought, and *hic* I think, it's kinda always been there, yunno? That thing between you and Emma, 'sbeen there the whoooole time and noooo one saw it. How's that even possible huh? I don't get it, but it's actually kinda beautiful, An' I am very happy for you two. You and Emma together is gonna be waaay more better looking than me and Emma and that's saying something. Eyy maybe I can get in on it sometime eh? Ha ha *snort* I dunno if I could handle the two of you but I'm always up for a challe- End of message." Regina layed there for a long moment, staring at her phone with a mix of relief and revulsion. She decided to never mention that voicemail to anyone, and to avoid the subject with Hook in the off chance he does remember his drunk calling. At least he didn't call to yell at her? _That's kind of progress_ she thinks to herself.

Her other missed call was from David, more recently. It was an unintended call but he did not follow up with polite text messages like his wife had the day before. Two of the texts were from Henry and the other was from Snow, surprisingly. Her message read simply "Thank you Regina." and it left the Queen puzzled until she read the texts from her son; "good morning.spoke to Grandpa earlier. hes not talking to ma or gram just me." "said he slept at the sheriff's station bcuz u locked him in there." Regina sighs and rolls her eyes, quickly typing back. "Good Morning. I guess he failed to tell you why?" She hits enter, tossing the phone on the bed as she gets up to go to the bathroom.

She comes back moments later to Henry attempting to call her. She answers at the last ring. "Henry, hey. No I didn't throw my phone after replying. I had to use the Lil Witches room." She chuckles at her own lame joke and sits on the edge of the bed. She sighs heavily, listening to him, "Henry, listen. I didn't lock your grandfather up for giggles. I _literally_ ran into him last night. I went for a run- yes I know I haven't run in years, not the point- and I collided into him coming out of the bar. He was drunk and was going to get in his truck and drive. So I did a magically assisted citizens arrest. It was better than the other option of letting him hurt himself. Didn't you guys already discuss this? I thought that's why Snow was thanking me." Regina scrunched her brow. She could hear the woman in question talking in the background but couldn't make out what she was saying.

"Grandma says that she didn't know why you locked him up until now but thank you all the same, and that she's gonna text you? Since when are you guys texting buds?" Henry's voice is curious.

"Since the birds stopped wanting to deliver my replies." She deadpanned back.

"Ha ha ha. Got plans today? Gonna write some more lame jokes?"

"I will have you know I am very funny! Nothing on the agenda until dinner. Hiding out. Might do some gardening. You guys?"

"Hang out here, watch movies. Hide from Grandpa and Hook." He says the last part in a hushed tone. She hears Emma object loudly in the distance, and chuckles.

"You kids have fun! I'll see you later? Love you too! Bye." Regina hung up the phone but before she could set it down it was buzzing with the promised message: "Despite the drama Emma has been more relaxed than ever. Thank you for that :)" She genuinely smiled reading that, but didn't know how to reply. She stared at the phone dumbly for a while until is buzzed again: "You don't need to say anything Regina. I just wanted you to know. Have a good Sunday!"

The brunette hesitated again but then quickly typed back "If you don't have plans you're welcome here for Family Dinner." She hits enter before she can back out and tosses the phone onto her bed, walking away to go finally get ready for the day.


	9. Chapter 9

Sorry guys, I know it has been a long time, and it may involve some back tracking but here's what I've been working on for forever. I've recently come into a lot more free time than I have had in recent months. Im hopeful to actually finish this at some point. I just need to figure out my endgame. Let a sister know if you have any ideas.

As always, concrit welcome, reviews are love. Hope you enjoy!

 **~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Home~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

For the twenty-eight years preceding her contact with Emma Swan, 'unflappable' was a word that would top Regina's list of personal descriptors. Tonight, however, as the fidgeted in front of the mirror, anxiously awaiting the arrival of her dinner guests, the Queen would consider herself as flapped as Emma Swan ever made her. On the surface she acknowledges that the only difference between tonight and the countless family dinners shared before is the shift in dynamic, yet she is still smoothing invisible wrinkles from her skirt for the umpteenth time in a short while. As she checks her teeth for lipstick she lets out a frustrated huff.

"You need to get it together." She says to herself. "It's just dinner. Snow and Henry will be there too." Her face twists in a grimace before turning and heading to the kitchen. The brunette checks the clock on the stove to see that it's very nearly six o'clock and goes about pulling her lasagna from the oven to set. Regina is halfway through assembling the plates and flatware for dinner when she hears the front door open and Henry loudly announcing their arrival.

"In the kitchen!" She shouts back and uses this final moment of solitude to try to shake off her nerves. Henry enters the kitchen to see his mother shaking out her arms and rolling her neck.

"Everything okay Mom?" He says, smiling and kissing her on the cheek in greeting.

She grins back, hugging him. "Just the crushing weight of my own anxiety. No big." He hugs back tightly, replying softly "The only thing that has changed is knowing." The teen steps back from their embrace, exchanging a mother's hug for a stack of plates and cutlery. "Duty calls." He jokes, exhibiting the plates dramatically, putting a light hearted emphasis on how ordinary it is. As soon as he disappears into the dining room, Snow and Emma enter the kitchen chattering. Regina is taken with how pretty Emma looked.

The mayor already thought that the blonde was beautiful but tonight she looked like she cared. Her usual jeans were swapped for form fitting black slacks and in place of her usual t-shirt and leather jacket was a tank top that Regina could only describe as flowy. _She looks like I wasn't the only one fidgeting in the mirror_. The brunette grins broadly at that thought, but it quickly disappears once she notices two expectant faces looking at her. Wide brown eyes stare back at them. She gives them an apologetic half smile.

Snow turns to her daughter, smirking. "I told you she would notice. I expected her to be cooler about it, though. I brought pie!" She adds the last part cheerfully, offering the dessert to the other brunette. Regina, flushed at being caught ogling, graciously accepts the pie and busies herself with putting it away until later.

Both of the Charming women casually move around the kitchen. Snow was pulling glasses from the cabinet and the water pitcher from the fridge while Emma peeked over Regina's shoulder as she cut the lasagna into even squares.

"Mmmm. That answers the question you didn't hear." The blonde chuckles, resting her hand gently on the brunette's shoulder. Regina shivered at the contact, pausing in her efforts. She sets the spatula down gently, handing Emma a potholder over her shoulder. She stays deliberately still, hyper aware of both the blonde's proximity and of Snow returning to gather salad dressings.

Emma takes the offered cloth and takes a step back as Regina turns around with the lasagna. The blonde smiles brightly at her, "That looks awesome as always babe. Er.. Regina." The Queen smiles back awkwardly, stepping around the other woman. "Excuse me." She says, making a beeline for the dining room. Snow and Emma exchange a look. "Does she seem tense to you?"

The brunette furrows her brow, "Maybe just a bit. I don't know why though, we've had dinner together dozens of times." Emma sighed.

"It's the Change."

"Emma I hardly think menopause is the answer to this, besides Regina's like, 70 anyway so it's probably long since-"

"MOTHER. Not that Change! The change in… this…" the sheriff waves widely. She looks pained. "I shouldn't have said anything. I did this." She covers her face.

Snow crosses to her daughter quickly, taking her hands in a comforting fashion, "No, Emma, don't. Don't think like this. Yeah it's weird but somehow not at all surprising. It's going to take some getting used to." She gave her her best supportive mother smile, "Just relax. She's going to feed off of you, give her some good vibes." She glances over her shoulder, hearing Regina talking near the door. "Probably lay off the PDA while I'm here. I don't want her to be uncomfortable." She adds in a whisper. Turning around, Snow gathers the salad supplies in her arms and heads for the dining room. She gives Regina a radiant smile as she passes by. The Queen smiles back, continuing into the kitchen.

She stops a few feet from Emma, smiling nervously, subconsciously holding herself. "It's ready, Henry is talking like you've been starving him." There's silence as Emma just takes her in; her guarded posture suggests a level of vulnerability that the blonde hadn't fully registered. The brunette falters under the intensity of the Savior's gaze and looks down at her feet. "Emma I-" she stops and clears her throat, looking back up into green eyes. She jumps slightly, not expecting them to be much closer than when she looked away. "Emma!" She exclaims.

"Sorry!" The blonde reaches out to place her hands on the brunettes forearms.

Regina exhales deeply. "It's ok, just unexpected." They smile at each other briefly. Regina looks away again, squeezing Emma's hands. "Henry said the only difference is knowing and… I feel… upside down." She finishes, feeling lame.

"It's just dinner with mom and Henry?"

"It's different! You're different. All flowy and beguiling! I feel different and it's weird Em. I'm sorry… what is that face?"

" _Beguiling_?" Emma smirked at her. "I didn't realize a new top and some make up would throw off your game."

"Emma please don't tease me. Not now." Brown eyes pleaded with green. "You have to know you have always been a weakness." Regina sounds small when she says it and it sounds unnatural to the blonde.

"I'm sorry." She says, wrapping the other woman in a hug. "I can change my shirt if it would help."

Regina shakes her head, her verbal response muffled by Emma's shoulder. "You don't have to. You look so lovely." She says, stepping back from the embrace, lightly touching the Savior's face. They're lost for a moment, appreciating each other, until they hear a throat clearing behind them.

"I'm sorry to interrupt but Henry's hungry enough to start his salad without prompting." Snow says softly, fully aware that she broke up a moment. She retreats quickly not wanting to intrude further. With one final glance and two burning faces they both turn to follow the other woman into the dining room.

Regina's flush flourishes upon entry when Henry gives them a look and waggles his eyebrows, earning him a nudge from Emma. "Hey, kid!" Henry just laughs by himself.

"Moms, lighten up! You both finally get what you've been pinning so hard for for _years_. I don't see why you're being so weirdly proper."

"Henry-" Emma starts to scold, Snow looking on silently with wide eyes.

"Emma it's ok. He's right. Sort of." Her voice falters as she plops unceremoniously into her seat. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. "I don't fully know why I'm feeling this way but I would really rather not get into it." She opens her eyes, peering around the table. Regina is met with understanding smiles and nods.

"No problem. Pass the lasagna!" A teen boy appetite stops at nothing.

The rest of the meal passes without incident (aided by wine on Regina's end) and they even manage to make it through dessert with only one awkwardly timed joke about pie. The unease Regina had been feeling was shaken for the most part once she settled into the familiarity of dining with her companions. She didn't speak that much for her part, but she felt it was probably better that way. She genuinely enjoyed watching his son and his other together, how animated they both became. And, if she were being honest, she had to admit that she had become fond of Snow. The Queen had learned to appreciate and care for the Princess in a way that her past self could not.

The three women were once again seated at the kitchen island, Henry having gone upstairs to get ready for bed and school the next day. Emma was in the middle of regaling the other two with a retelling of a drunk phone call she received from Hook.

"And then he says, 'C'mon luv, the three of us could really make somethin' happen!'" The blonde looks caught between horrified and amused, while Regina chokes on her wine.

"Oh good, I wasn't the only one getting solicitous phone calls." She says after catching her breath.

Snow White is beside herself with laughter at their shared chagrin. They both fix her with a look. "What? I think that's way better than some of the messages I got from your father." She replies, taking a long sip of her tea. "Sorry, Debbie Downer. He will get over it." She smiles hopefully, glancing at the clock. "Shoot. I had better get going. I need to pick Neal up from the fairies on my way home." She gets to her feet before quickly engulfing the older brunette in a hug. Regina's eyes widen in surprise but she returns the hug after a moment. "Thank you for your hospitality Regina. I know things are changing, but they're changing for the better! You deserve to be happy." She says this quietly, so that only Regina can hear her. The Queen doesn't know how to respond with words so she just hugs her a little tighter. Snow pulls back and turns to Emma, "Walk me to the door?" She smiles as she exits. Regina can hear her call up the stairs to Henry, and rolls her eyes as she hears him shout in reply.

In the time that Emma was gone the brunette drained her glass and refilled it, suddenly feeling more nervous now that there were no distractions from each other. Regina didn't hear the blonde return, but didn't jump when she felt her wrap her arms around her from behind. The warmth from the contact spread over Regina's shoulders and throughout her body. She suppresses a shiver.

"Mom wanted to know if I would be home tonight…" Emma says softly. Her hold tightens slightly, her breath tickling the brunettes ear. The Savior reaches up with one hand and ever so gently brushes the dark hair away from her neck, inhaling the other woman's scent as she nuzzles the exposed skin. Regina visibly shivers at this. "I told her I already was." She admits this in a whisper, causing the brunette gasp, releasing a breath she didn't realize she was holding.

Regina's head was swimming and she was hot all over. She didn't know which at the stronger influence, Emma or the wine, but she knew she was losing hope of self control fast. She turned in her seat toward the younger woman, hands resting on her chest, head bowed. Emma rests her hands on the brunette's shoulders and kisses the top of her head. Regina buries her head into the crook of her neck, breathing deeply. She mumbles something, the vibrations making Emma giggle and pull away slightly.

"What was that?" She says smiling warmly, her eyes twinkling.

"I'm not ready yet." Regina admits quietly, resting her head against Emma's chest, listening to her heart hammer. She hears her gulp.

"Regina I didn't mean…"

"It is taking everything I have to not give into my body screaming for you." Regina's voice is low, raspy, but clear. Leaning back, she looks up at Emma through heavily lidded eyes and licks her lips. Emma's emerald eyes are wide, fixed on Regina's full lips. She licks her lips subconsciously.

"Can you… can you just… hold me tonight?" Her voice is raw and smouldering, chocolate orbs fix on pink lips. Her eyes upwards, connecting with the other woman's, who steps back and extends her hand in a silent invitation. Regina accepts it with all the grace she could muster, snapping the lights off as they go.


End file.
